Battery Tips for Vapers Part 1

This is why understanding battery safety is very important. If you primarily use vaporizers with removable batteries, this post is for you!

Battery Wraps 101

If you purchase loose li-ion batteries online, be wary of their reported specs. The most popular batteries used for advanced vaporizers are 18650 batteries. You’ll often find vendors selling these batteries with wraps that label them as being able to handle an amp draw of 40-70 amps or more. This is not possible with the battery technology we currently have.

You might also see batteries with claims of having 8,000 or more mAh, which is the capacity of the battery. Basically, the higher the mAh rating, the longer the battery will last.

Make sure you do your research before buying loose batteries. Look at reviews and make certain you’re buying from a reputable vendor.

Safety First!

There are some advanced vapers in the community who like to push the limits of their batteries, while not fully understanding the risks involved. Forums are full of bad battery safety advice.

A common example is someone saying something like, “I run my coils at 0.08 ohms and I’ve never had a problem.” The big issue with advice like this is that it’s well known that pushing batteries that far is taking them to their limits. And just because one person hasn’t had a problem doing it, that doesn’t mean they never will. The smartest thing to do is start safe and simple, then move up from there if you feel like you need more power. Do your research to understand Ohm’s law and why it matters when vaping.

Choosing the Right Battery

The two most important ratings on a battery are its current ratings and mAh ratings. If you like to build your atomizer low and you like to vape at high wattages, you should use a battery with a high current rating, such as something rated at 30 amps.

On the other hand, if you build higher than 1 ohm and like to vape at low wattages, you don’t need a high-current battery. Instead, you can go with a battery that has a high mAh rating and lower amp rating, which will let you vape a lot longer.

The type of battery you choose depends on two things: mAh and amp rating.

Distinguishing Pulse Ratings From Continuous Ratings

Something you should know when looking at amp ratings of batteries is that there are two kinds: continuous and pulse.

The continuous rating is the rating you should use. Many vapers mistakenly assume they should go by pulse ratings, since when vaping, we pulse the batteries for seconds at a time, rather than continuously discharging them. This is a major misunderstanding.

The biggest issue with pulse ratings are that they are by no means accurate, which is due to there not being any set of standards in pulse testing in the battery industry. One manufacturer might base their pulse rating on one second, while another might base it on a millisecond.

Understanding Venting and Thermal Runaway

Venting is when the internal battery temperature typically reaches 260 – 300 degrees Fahrenheit. When a battery vents it can spray hot liquids and will emit toxic fumes. Venting can happen if the battery is shorted out or if it reaches extremely high temperatures. If you suspect a battery is venting, place it aside immediately and wait 30 minutes to make sure it doesn’t go into “thermal runaway.”

Those YouTube videos you see of batteries exploding are what’s called thermal runaway. This happens when a battery suffers extreme damage, such as from a hard-short circuit.

The most common reason for hard-shorts on a battery is when someone places a loose li-ion battery in their backpack, purse, or pocket. If that battery comes into contact with another piece of metal that bridges both the positive and negative parts of the battery, the battery will short.

More battery tips are on the way. Look for Part 2 in the near future!

The opinions and other information contained in these blog posts and comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Nicopure Labs, LLC, owner of the Halo and Halo Cigs marks.

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Halo is a leader in the electronic cigarette and E-liquid industry. We proudly design, innovate, and manufacture quality American made products. We follow strict guidelines, policies, and procedures in all of our manufacturing processes. At Halo, we make the safety and satisfaction of our customers our top priority.

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